‘Don’t look down.’ Syko said as he raced towards the edge.
Jimmy held his breath. Syko always looked before he jumped. But he said it anyway. It was kinda his thing.
Crazy fucker.
This high up, everything went quiet. Sounds of the city faded away till all that was left was wind and the sound of his heart beating in his ears.
Syko pushed off into a dive towards Building B, one floor lower and 15 feet away. He seemed to float against the evening sky. Light as a feather. Then gravity kicked in, he arced down and tucked his head under his shoulder. When he hit the ground he rolled; one somersault, and he was on his feet again.
‘Jump limp dick!’ He beckoned.
Jimmy just waved. ‘Too dark shithead.’
Syko’s face was lost in the gathering night. ‘Catch ya tomorrow then.’
‘In your dreams Syko. In your dreams.’
Jimmy pulled his collar up and wrapped his arms around him. Syko headed for the fire escape. It was the only way down. Up top though, the full moon brought rain from the North; clouds as fine as cobwebs scudded across her empty white face. Tiny gusts of air wormed under his jacket and pressed icy fingers into his sweaty skin.
It was getting easier to make the jump though. The first time he tried it, his heart nearly stopped.
He liked the feeling, almost flying. Running from rooftop to rooftop. No fear. No thoughts. Only where to find handholds. Where to jump. Roll. Hang. Running was the only thing that brought him peace. But it was getting dark. No one could freerun after dark.
Syko could…
By now mom would have dinner on the table and the next episode of Stranger things would be streaming. He grabbed the fire escape. It still felt warm from the day. Carefully, he made his way down. Once he got past Missy’s apartment, he’d be all clear. If that old harpy so much as smelt anything funny, she’d call the cops. Or worse, his mother.
Missy’s lights were off.
Thank God.
She was probably drunk off her ass on peach Patron. Sometimes she left the empties on the landing
One floor down. He moved across the old ironwork, light from the new neighbors window spilled across his path. He’d seen her a couple of times. She was older, maybe in her forties. Still slim, but her hair was streaked with white and she had the kind of nose that would look better on a toucan.
He walked on the outer edges of his sneaks to dampen his footsteps. No sense disturbing her.
As he made the turn to climb down the next flight, something fell in her apartment.
Hard.
He wouldn’t look. None of his business.
Glass broke in a tinkle of sharp edges
Another heavy thud.
Jimbo, mom’s cooking spaghetti tonight. Better move it..
A loud thump shifted the curtains. He spun, his eyes widened. Heart juddered in his chest.
Just beyond, a naked woman crawled away from the window. Hands and knees, back arched, like a cat. She gasped, fighting for air.
Son, none of your business.
Jimmy hesitated.
The woman groaned, the sound harsh and grating. Her head lashed from side to side.
Dude she needs help. She’s choking or something.
The decision Jimmy made next would haunt him forever. He moved to the window.
‘Lady, you o.k.?'
Trembling became violent shivering. Long spasms rocked her body. She almost seemed to grow a little. Her arms were too long. Her feet too big, too..
Hairy
‘Lady?’
Jimmy used his knuckles on the glass.
‘I can call an ambulance.’
Her head swiveled toward him sharply. Her eyes were huge and yellow, like a animal. Her pupils slashed a hard red line across the yellow expanse.
Oh crap!
She opened her mouth as if to speak but only a hiss made its way out. . Her teeth were long and pointed.
One heartbeat.
Two.
And then she scrambled toward the window, her hands slipping on the commercial carpet, too fast, too eager. The hissing multiplied as if her slathering tongue forked, serpentine, twisting inside a knot of snakes.
Run Jimmy!
Two heartbeats.
Three.
It would have been easier to shimmy down the ladder to get back to his apartment.
Confusion.
Instead he climbed up, back toward the roof. The window behind him smashed apart. Glass broke, scattered on the railing. The sounds were tinkly and musical.
Half way up he risked a glance behind. In the moonlight, the woman, pulled herself through the narrow bars. She stood, taller than she should have. Long hair streaked with white brushed against the swell of her bottom. Her hands hooked into fingered claws. Jimmy couldn’t tell if she was naked anymore. Her body was completely in shadow. She sniffed the air eagerly head up, like a..
Dog…
Her face vanished into the dark but her eyes glowed a lambent yellow.
Jimmy redoubled his speed.
As he made his way over the edge, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone
Something
scrambling up the ladder.
Moonlight painted the empty roof in cold white. Skylight. Water tower. Access door. Buildings beyond.
The ladder clanked, rattled. He could hear the bolts in the concrete creak as they took her weight.
The door to the roof would be locked and bolted from the inside.
Think Jimmy.
No fire escape.
He would have to run.
Scraping sounds. A hand. Something else, tipped with claws grabbed the rooftop.
No more time.
RUN!
He raced along the ledge just as Syko had. Sniffing sounds behind him. Heavy breathing.
What the fuck! What the fuck!
He jumped. Air on his face. Full moon yellow and hard in the sky.
Behind him a loud quavering wail. The sound of wolves baying at the moon.
Jimmy felt his heart hammer against his rib cage. Fear trapped inside him, filled his heart.
He hit the rooftop and immediately rolled, spreading the force into the floor.
The howl filled the thin air, filled his mind, filled the sky. When Jimmy looked back. The woman..
was it still a woman?
..leered at him. Her face elongated into snapping maws. Her eyes gleamed yellow and her ears stood up like a doberman’s.
Dude , you really don't want to be here.
The creature paced the ledge, visibly becoming agitated. Soon it would leap across the divide.
Jimbo?
He listened.
He looked across at the next building. They had run this route hundreds of times. Him and Syko.
Race along the ledge. Jump. Hold the railing.
The sounds of the creature faded. Heartbeat, footsteps. Crouch, leap, roll. Hang for a moment spin and release.
He couldn’t stop.
Even if he wanted to.
Just a fun story and a write-off Mk40 and I have going. We alternately pick topics and write anything we are inspired to about the topic. This week it was Parkour.
Lol. MK, Tag. You're it.
Thanks Pixabay for the free pic.